Will Smith reveals title, cover of his upcoming memoir

By ANI

WASHINGTON: Actor Will Smith revealed the title and cover of his upcoming autobiography on Saturday. The inspirational memoir titled ‘WILL’ is set to be published by Penguin Press on November 9.

The award-winning actor took his Instagram account and his website to share the news about his book.

“It’s been a labour of love,” Smith said in a video posted on Instagram about the exciting news.

He added in the video, “I’ve been working on it for the past two years and it is finally ready.”

As per People magazine, in ‘WILL’, Smith will explore his personal trajectory, from his childhood in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to his iconic roles in ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’ and an array of hit films like ‘Ali’ (2001) and ‘Hitch’ (2005).

The book is an “inspirational tale of how [Will Smith’s] true self-knowledge helped to propel him to extraordinary success, and then evolve further to a place of deeper peace – with himself, his loved ones, and the world,” according to the press release announcing the book deal in October 2018.

Smith also revealed the cover for the forthcoming release, which was created by New Orleans-based visual artist Brandan “BMike” Odums. The cover features a series of portraits of the actor painted on top of each other.

“The idea is to communicate visually the evolution of a person, from childhood through adulthood, and at major stages of their life in between,” according to a press release.

The actor is writing ‘WILL’ with Mark Manson, whose self-help manual ‘The Subtle Art Of Not Giving A F-K’ became a bestseller when it published in 2016. Three months before Smith’s book deal was announced, he teased his book and his partnership with Manson on Instagram.

“I’m writing a book! I’ve got years and years of stuff I’ve been wanting to say and I’m finally gonna write a book. I’m writing it for y’all,” Smith said in the July 2018 Instagram video.

“Are you feeling confident?” Smith asked Manson in the video. “Are you feeling like we’ll be able to do transcendent art with this book?”

“I spent the last six months with crippling anxiety, but today I feel great,” Manson joked.

Later in the video, Smith addressed upcoming negotiations with five book publishers.

“I feel very confident that we’re gonna go with the highest bidder… I’m just saying,” he said with a smile.

Not only will ‘WILL’ be inspirational, but it will also highlight Smith’s humour and candor.

“Mark Manson is the TRUTH! He’s gonna get a book outta me,” Smith captioned the video. “I’m SOOO Ready! I’m ’bout to tell y’all ALL MY BUSINESS.”

‘WILL’ is now available for preorder.